


Too Patient

by dapper_robot



Category: SteamWorld Quest (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Be warned it gets serious, Post-Canon, Toxic friendship, seriously Orik you have better friends jeez
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 17:57:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20457089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapper_robot/pseuds/dapper_robot
Summary: The fortress was so quiet. It felt wrong since the last visit. He didn't see any retrospecters. He didn't see any soliders. Just empty hallways and rooms. It was such a drastic difference from last time, though last time hadn't even been a week ago.





	Too Patient

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is literally my most emotional fic ever. I'm rlly proud of this one ᕕ( ՞ ᗜ ՞ )ᕗ

It hadn't been that long since they set up the behemoth's petrified body like a strange golf course. The action of such had taken a few days of course, but even then, the day after, Orik knew something was wrong. He could feel it.

So he decided to go back to somewhere the group had been recently. Someone was missing.

-

The fortress was so quiet. It felt wrong since the last visit. He didn't see any retrospecters. He didn't see any soliders. Just empty hallways and rooms. It was such a drastic difference from last time, though last time hadn't even been a week ago.

He just calmly walked throughout it all. It gave him time to think, and to wonder. He never understood why they put a giant fortress. No one truly defended it anymore.

The sky had a red tint to it, and the weather felt even colder than usual. If he was being honest, the cold didn't bother him much at all. Then again, one or more of his abilities involved wind.

Getting to his destination was the easiest thing in days, besides distance, anyways. And when he got there, his concerns were proven correct.

Gilgamech definitely hadn't even noticed him yet, either. Orik took his time to look around, only using his head in case if he took a step it would cause disruption. It looked like where someone would live, and he knew that the cold wasn't the thing giving him chills this time. How long had he kept this up? What had happened to his old home?

He didn't get a good look of this room the last time he was here, and now it felt so uneasy. It was decorated and yet felt empty. He didn't think Gilgamech was so desperate as to live in the very place to summon the Behemoth.

Orik took a few steps forward, and noticing Gilgamech still didn't notice him, continued on until he got to where Gilgamech was sitting.

"Hello old friend." Gilgamech looked up at him, but not by much. He was hunched over with his head in his hands.

"..."

"When have you last left here?"

"..."

"Are you still hurt?”

"..." This silence was longer than the last ones. The last ones having been an entire minute each.

"Are you mad at me?”

"...What?" Gilgamech full sat upwards.

"_Are you mad at me?_"

"Orik why would-"

"_Are you mad at me._"

"No I'm not! Why would I be?!"

"I could list a few."

"Don't." Gilgamech's voice seemed to somewhat tremble, "You should sit. You standing there like that is uncomfortable."

"This thing has a lot of room, did you have people here often?" Orik smiled lightly.

"Never."

"Oh." Orik stopped smiling and sat somewhat but not too far from Gilgamech.

"I don't understand why you came back."

"You haven't been seen in days. I could feel something is wrong. It's depressing in here, when did you last light those candles at all? The only source of light coming in here is the doorway. Have you even left here at all? Did something happen so you can't leave?" Orik sounded heavily concerned.

"I haven't left here because it's by my own choice. Even then, getting around is hard, so in the end even if I actually wanted to leave it'd be hard to do."

"What do you mean?” Orik immediately looked concerned.

"Ever since the Behemoth... Well, I have some bad damage in a leg. I can't fix it on my own, and I ended up coming back up here without asking for help."

"You _what?_"

"You sound mad."

"I am! You still had soldiers at the time, didn't you?!"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ask? Don't you realize that can cause permanent damage?! Let me see it, now."

"Orik-"

"I mean it." Orik already had started to Gilgamech, who let out a frustrated sigh. Orik kneeled down, "Which leg is it."

"Left." Gilgamech could tell he wasn't getting out of this. Orik examined said leg and grimaced.

"I can't fix this, we'll need to go get you some help."

"No." Hearing Gilgamech's words made Orik have surprise show on his face.

"Gilgamech. I'm _serious_. I'm trying to make sure you're safe."

"And I'm serious too. There is not an outside for me now. What am I known as? Either as nothing or a fool. There is nothing out there for me."

"... _Nothing_? You think there's nothing out there for you?" Orik stood once again, "You say you're forgotten yet you've forgotten yourself! You've just loathed your defeat for days, haven't you? I know heroism is important but... Your life and who you are isn't only about that..." Orik's voice trailed off for a few seconds, "... I wish you could see that again." There was some more silence again. Said silence was deafening.

"You never give up, do you?"

"If I did I would be dead." Orik sighed, "I understand how you feel. The fear that everyone will forget you for who you truly are, for what you actually did, all while you're still alive... But trying to prevent it is self destructive." His tone changed to something more solemn, "And that's what you've been doing. What you are doing. And then when it fails, you avoid it. You're letting this ruin the life you still have! This isn't how you were. This never was how you were. You've strayed so far and let it eat you up from the inside. We can still do something about this, Gilgamech. We can take some action, don't you prefer that?"

"... I don't deserve you as a friend." Gilgamech's words were sudden. Why was that his first reaction to his words? What kind of response was that to someone trying to help? Orik looked to the side, then sighed once more.

"You're right."

The room suddenly felt freezing.

Orik's expression changed as he realized how he had sounded, his voice strained somewhat and his tone dropped heavily.

"Huh?" Gilgamech looked confused. What answer had he expected? For him to pity him?

"I said _you're right._" Orik felt his body begin to feel tense, "You put me in a cage. You ignored my warnings so many times when they were out of concern of not just the world's, but your own well-being. You've used my patience for so much. All for what? For you to summon the exact monster we fought together? _For you to end up forcing me to fight it again?_ For you to put so many people in a life or death situation?"

"Orik I-"

"What _happened?_"

"What?"

"_What happened?_ To make you do all that... We used to be good friends, I wasn't having to question if it was my fault that an old friend of mine was summoning a creation of three cruel gods. I helped you on the first adventure to the Behemoth, we killed it together. And now you recklessly throw yourself into a fight against it, _alone_!" Orik grabbed at his own head, "Is it actually my fault?"

"... You've held that in for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"I have no answer for you."

"... _Goodbye._"

"..."

"Just like before, it's obvious my words are falling on deaf ears. Please just leave, too. At one point or the other. You're hours from civilization, this isn't healthy. That's all I want from you in the end, is that you take care of yourself." With that, Orik walked away.

He felt something wet on his face for a second, then quickly wiped it away. He really was too patient.


End file.
